Time Is Eternity
by Lyra Matsuoka
Summary: The sequel to 'Wish Upon A Faerie Ring'. The wedding of Imperial Princess Serenity and Crown Prince Endymion is close at hand, but destructive forces will test the limits of love, trust, and magic.


Hey all! Been a long time since you've seen a new SM story line out of  
me...but I have returned, and with a sequel no less! That's right, for  
all of you 'Wish Upon A Faerie Ring' fans, here is the sequel you've   
been waiting for. For those of you looking at that and thinking 'What  
in the world is Wish Upon A Faerie Ring?' well, it's my first story.  
Do you have to read 'WUAFR' to understand this fic? Well, you *know*  
you want to read it anyway...you are getting sleepy...  
  
To all those who have clamored for a sequel, this is for you!  
  
Disclaimer: *shakes her head* I don't own anything. Well, I do own  
these school papers, but I'm fairly sure that no one is interested   
in them...  
  
  
Time Is Eternity  
by Lyra Matsuoka  
Rated PG-13  
  
Prolouge : Offending Shadows  
  
  
An eternal battle is fought in this world, and has been fought  
since the dawn of time. The forces of good and evil are constantly   
colliding, making war on each other. And a battle cannot be fought   
without soliders. Hence, each human being must, at some point in their  
lives, choose whether they will serve the forces of light, or the army  
of darkness.  
  
For a very select few, their choice is woven in the tapestry  
of destiny.  
  
Some are the heros of legend, and they are the ones who protect  
all things that humanity has a tendancy to take for granted. Others are  
the very essence of chaos, for their purpose is to remind the people of  
each world that the light and love they cherish is as easily snatched away  
as it is given.   
  
However, no one is entirely good or entirely evil, no matter what   
the tapestry of life may say. And everyone whose destiny is not decided   
for them must choose. Which side is left to the macinations of the many   
forces that mould humanity. And those who choose evil are far more   
dangerous than those who are born to it.  
  
Such was the case with Beryl. Her ill-advised assasination attempt  
on Imperial Princess Serenity had resulted in the near total destruction  
of her active mind. And the reason for this was the a very dark power was  
moving swiftly through her, dominating her soul. When Beryl had been   
fighting Serenity, she had offered her soul to anyone who would take it  
for the chance to win the battle.  
  
That is an intoxicating offer for any being; especially for one  
who had been lying dormant, waiting for just such a chance. There are evils  
in the world that have existed since the creation of the universe, and   
Metallia was just such a force. She descended upon Beryl quickly and   
mercilessly, granting power for the essence of life.   
  
But they had failed. Metallia hadn't truly expected them to win.  
Beryl was untutored, and the magic that Metallia had given her had been  
powerful and ancient. Only a few would know how to wield it with a moments   
notice. And the magic of the Imperium Crystal was nothing to be trifled  
with. Combined with the power of the planets it was nearly invincible.  
Metallia was still attemping to decipher how magic that had the mark  
of the Faeries had come into the equation.   
  
It was of no consequence. Beryl had done well, all things   
considered; well enough that Metallia knew she was not wasting her time.  
Time was something Metallia was very familiar with. Time was her greatest  
ally. And so she began spreading through Beryl's mind.   
  
Beryl's accomidations were nothing like what she was used to. In fact,   
the dark cell far beneath the castle would have bothered her if she had  
been concerned with those sorts of things. But Metallia had become far  
more than a whisper in her mind. The evil was coursing through Beryl,  
replacing her soul with power. The guards, who were the only ones who   
saw Beryl, did not notice the dramatic change in her. While the Princess  
Serenity lay unconcious in the palace above, Beryl was morphing into   
something purely destructive.  
  
Her hair brightened to the shade of new blood, and her emerald eyes  
became hard and distant. Beryl was shifting physically to reflect the   
great change in her. Her skin changed from a cream to an alabaster, and  
anyone who touched her would have withdrawn in shock, for her skin was  
as ice.   
  
*Now is the time, my child. Take what I offer you and shatter this  
prison. Flee to the west, where my disciples await you. The power that  
I give to you, the chance that I make yours, take it!*  
  
Beryl's absence was noted, though how she had escaped the dungeon  
no one was certain. Truth to tell, the guards were glad to be rid of her.  
The way she had simply sat near the wall, day after day, staring up at her  
single window; almost as though she were listening to a voice that only  
she could hear.  
  
Metallia would have laughed if she had heard that description. For  
it was the truth. And the voice that Beryl heard whispered of hate, pain  
and destruction as the former countess hurried away from the shining   
palace lights toward the darkness of the forest. 


End file.
